A/N-I know this too me way too long to get up but school just about kicked my ass the last month or so. Now that everything's settling down and it's almost over (thank God!), I'll be able to settle back into a more regular writing schedule. That long wait won't happen again and I apologize for that. Now, hopefully you enjoy this next chapter and that it was worth the wait.


TRUE LOVE WAY

Chapter Two

It was 8:50 in the morning and even though she needed to be inside the office within the next ten minutes, Emma found herself rooted to the car seat beneath her. She had sat there and watched several of her mother's employees enter CaraCara and couldn't yet bring herself to open the door. Going inside met that she was officially going to be employed there and it was anyone's guess as to when she'd be able to wring herself free of it. But she knew how bad that sounded and she knew that eventually her guilt would propel her to finally open the car door and set out onto the pavement. A few more minutes ticked away and the realization that she couldn't stay in there forever made her wince.

With a deep sigh, she grabbed her coffee and her bag with one hand and pushed the door open with the other. Glancing around at the other cars, a past conversation with Dawn bounced around in her mind. Dawn had been, naturally, surprised when she'd told her a few days after her graduation party that she decided to take her mom up on her offer. She was even more surprised to find out that her conversation with Jax that night had, in some ways, been the catalyst to her decision. All he'd done though was confirm something she'd already had a sneaking suspicion about—that her mother's business was in serious trouble and that she needed help. She also hadn't ever really thought about making CaraCara a temporary means to an end...everything Jax said had made perfect sense. She'd expected Dawn to be a little ambivalent, to wonder if she'd maybe jumped the gun, but she hadn't expected Dawn to become so unnervingly serious.

"Well, of course he wants you to work at CaraCara...then he's got easy access to both of you." Dawn had sputtered with frustation.

"What do you mean?"

"I just want you to have all the facts," Dawn had replied with an uncharacterisically quiet voice.

"What are you talking about?"

Dawn sighed and ran a hand over her face. "Jax has been tappin' one of your mom's 'employees' over there...her name's Ima, I think."

It took her a moment to find some words, any words, and when she finally did, all she could manage was: "Oh."

"I just thought you should know before you decide to really be over there everyday. I mean...if our roles were reversed, I don't think I could do it."

She'd frowned and swallowed tightly, not knowing what to do with this new information. "I'm not sure why you'd think this matters."

Dawn rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Don't tell me it doesn't bother you. I won't believe it."

"Why would it?"

After that, Dawn had just shook her head again and headed into her bedroom, probably to try to get Juice on the phone. She had stood there for a good five minutes trying to convince herself that it didn't matter. That she wasn't bothered by the fact that Jax was currently sleeping with a porn star that she would have to see and work with on a regular basis if she decided once and for all to take the job. It was no big deal. Why should she care what Jax does or who he does, right? As if everything else wasn't already enough...but this, whatever this was, wasn't going to be the thing that pushed her over the edge.

And it was that thought that propelled her forward. Her body felt like it was moving in slow motion but before long, she was pushing the door that would lead her into the office where her mom and God knows what was waiting for her.

"Em! Your first day...are you excited? I'm excited!" Luann was practically jumping up and down as she spoke. If only she could muster half of her mother's enthusiasm...well, then she just might be able to make it through the rest of this day.

"Hey mom," she smiled softly at Luann's exuberant face, suddenly finding it difficult to be so completely apprehensive about her new employment status.

"Well, before we get started, I think I should introduce you to everybody," Luann started.

She felt a sharp pang in her stomach and quickly shook her head. "Can't that wait? Don't you think we should start with everything in the office first...the books, inventory?"

Luann chewed on the inside of her cheek in thought and she quickly swallowed the lump rising in her throat. Her mom clearly wanted to stall showing her the actual business side of her business and, based off of her previous conversation with Jax and her own instincts, she had a pretty good idea why.

Thankfully, a knock on the door saved them both from having to confront the inevitable head-on.

"Um, Luann," a deep voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Ima's still not here. She's still not answering her phone, either."

"Fuck." Luann muttered under her breath in agitated frustration. "Well...keep calling her."

"Sure thing, boss." The man said on the other side before shuffling away.

She couldn't hide her reaction to the mention of Ima...the words 'difficult' and 'whore' and 'bitch' came to mind whenever she'd allowed herself to think about Ima—someone she'd never met—but now, it appeared as if all three of those adjectives were most likely accurate. Go figure.

"Is she always running late like that?" She asked hesitantly.

Luann just nodded as her eyes lifted briefly to the ceiling in frustration. "I swear...if that girl didn't bring in so much cash...I'd have fired her ass a long time ago."

Emma didn't really know how to respond to that so she just chose not to. There were still too many questions that needed answering about her new job and too much uneasiness already swirling around in her stomach for her to be able to handle any more information about Ima. Maybe it was best, in general, if she just kept her distance from Ima and the rest of her mom's "employees". She was sure to see some things that she really had no intention of seeing anyways and besides, she didn't need to get along with any of these girls in order to do her job.

"Maybe now's a good time to go over some of the books, right, Mom?" She offered.

Luann blinked back at her like she'd just completely crushed her spirit and she felt like shit because of it.

"We can't wait?" Luann asked meekly.

"Shit, mom, you look like I just kicked your puppy or something. It can't be that bad, can it?"

Luann opened her mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by yet another knock at the door. They barely had a chance to get the door open when Bobby's mess of curls popped through.

"Hey there, ladies, just reportin' for duty. Oh, by the way, I'm supposed to tell you that Ima is here and she's asking for you, Luann."

Her mom exhaled deeply before shaking her head. "Alright. I better see what the hell she wants now. I'll see you soon, honey."

Luann's hand slipped down her arm in a tender, motherly gesture that had her still reeling even after Luann left the room. Maybe she couldn't handle this. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. She'd only been in the office for a full ten minutes and she already wanted to bolt.

"So..." Bobby started slowly, assessing her mood. "Luann showin' you the ropes?"

"Well," she tried not to shift nervously as she spoke but couldn't help it. "Not really. She seems to be avoiding that part."

Bobby nodded knowingly and gestured for her to follow him. "That's what I figured. But the way I see it, the only way you get anything done around here is if you have all the facts, right?"

He ambled over to the large desk that was currently overflowing with paperwork, posters, and some haphazardly strewn about DVD cases with some, um, revealing pictures on them. Well, apparently the first order of business was to organize this disaster area of a desk. How could her mom possibly

find anything in there, let alone the entire office? She barely noticed when Bobby set some folders and a few books out on top of pile of paperwork.

"Here ya go, Em," he murmured grimly. "This should be everything you need to get yourself started here."

She stared at the small pile for a moment and again, fought the urge to run. She could still get out of this, couldn't she? Luann would understand if it was just too much too soon, right? Bobby's eyes went from the pile on the desk to her then back to the pile again, as if willing her to finally pick them up already.

"How bad is it, Bobby?" She heard herself ask softly.

Bobby sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Well, it's not good, that's for sure."

"How much money has the club put into CaraCara?" She almost didn't want to know the answer.

"About $75K."

She swallowed tightly at this new piece of the puzzle. That was a hell of a lot of money for them to stick into something that was failing. The only real reason they could've done was for her dad's sake, maybe out of some respect for Luann, but still...it was only a matter of time before they got sick of seeing their money burn that way.

"How much of that have you lost?" She grimaced as she spoke.

"Well," he started thoughtfully. "About $20K...not really enough to pull out of the deal completely but enough to piss off the club a little bit. We put the money in thinking we'd get it back right away, that it would be another way to earn some legit money but that hasn't really happened the way we thought it would."

"How much longer before the club pulls out completely?"

Bobby shrugged. "The way she keeps losing money...I figure we lose another $10, maybe $15K within the next couple of months. Then they'll pull the plug for sure."

"And there's no way she can survive without the money the club put in, right?"

Bobby just shook his head sadly and that was all the answer she needed. As a deep sigh escaped her lungs, she felt the knot in her stomach quickly begin to unravel. Then she remembered the look on her mom's face as she tried in vain to evade showing her the finances—the defeat and weariness was unmistakable. Her mom needed help. And as much as she still felt uneasy in her mom's presence, as much as she would like to distance herself from both her mother and her business, she knew, deep down, that there was no way she could allow her to lose everything without at least trying.

If they could just figure out a way to make enough quickly to get the club back at least what they had already lost, maybe that would buy them some more time.

"Hey, Bobby," she started slowly as an idea began to form. "Do you know where the distribution inventories are?"

He took a few moments to do a little digging and she could barely contain herself as she flipped through the forms, quickly confirming what she had already gathered on her own.

"I knew it," she paused to look up at him, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. "This could be a solution here...look," she pointed to the quantity table. "My mom isn't even coming close to selling any of these titles in bulk...but most distribution companies want to buy in bulk because it lowers their overall price."

"And that's good, right?"

She nodded quickly. "You give a discount on the bulk prices so the companies will want to do it. But we'll still get the kickback for every copy that's sold—which means if we up the quantity that's moved, we up the profit too. We could even increase the kickback percentage a little bit since they're technically getting a deal from us. And...I was thinking...we could even re-release a few titles that are a little older, maybe there's some extra footage laying around—we can call it a special edition or something like that, charge a little bit more."

Bobby chewed on that for a moment, squinting carefully to look at the numbers, then, as it started to configure in his head, a slow smile crept on his face.

"Sweetheart, I love the way you think. Wouldn't that cost a little extra, though? To reprint something?"

"It would but the profit should offset the costs pretty quickly, especially if we can make that distribution deal pan out."

He nodded quickly and immediately pulled his prepay from his pocket. "That sounds real good, sweetheart. I'll call Jax to get him over here when you've got all the numbers worked out."

She felt that familiar knot slide back around in her stomach. "You need the whole club's vote to do this though, right? Why just him?"

Bobby just shrugged. "'Cause this is his deal. He's gotta be the one to pitch it to everyone else anyways."

"Oh."

She listened as Bobby spoke quickly to Jax and for the life of her, could not figure out why his imminent appearance was so alarming. If this was going to work, she apparently needed his approval first. Maybe if they could meet anywhere but at CaraCara...maybe then she could keep a level head around him. But it was going to be difficult here.


A few hours and mountains and mountains of paperwork later, Emma realized she could no longer isolate herself in the office. She had to pee like a mother fucker. Why, oh why did she have to have all that coffee this morning? Oh right. Because she was nervous as hell. And now she was had to face the consequences.

Shit. Having to pee meant having to leave the office which meant being exposed to the less-than-ideal environment outside. Maybe she could hold it...no, Jax would be here soon. She just had to suck it up. So before she could change her mind, she pushed herself out of the chair and into the brightly lit hallway to find the bathroom. Maybe she could be stealthy, like a ninja or something, and no one would even know she left the office.

She'd made it all the way to the bathroom and into the stall before she realized she wasn't alone in the bathroom. The click-click of dangerously high heels echoed across the tile and Emma felt her entire body tense as she listened from the safety of her stall as the owner of the heels came closer. Then she heard a voice and rolled her eyes when she realized the woman was on the phone.

"Hey Jax," the syrupy sweet voice purred as she moved into the stall next to her. Emma's heart dropped into her stomach and she swallowed tightly. Go fucking figure that the one person she'd been trying to avoid for the better part of the day just happened to end up in the stall next to her.

She knew she needed to bail, that it would be in her best interest if she just pulled her skirt back up and got the hell out of there before she could hear anymore. But something, probably the masochist in her, was rooting her firmly where she sat, paralyzed by the sound of Ima's shrill voice.

"Are you finally going to call me back this time?" Ima continued in that sickly high voice. "I hope you don't make me wait too long. I'm just on break right now and should be done here in a few hours. I'd really like it if you could give me a ride home tonight...I think I'd owe you a ride back too. Call me or text me...I miss you. Bye."

Emma had a difficult time not laughing out loud the longer she listened to Ima leaving that voicemail. It was pretty pathetic. And it did nothing but confirm her pre-existing suspicions about this girl in the stall next to her.

Now would probably be a good time to get the hell out of there. So she quickly scrambled back into her skirt and hustled out of the stall to wash her hands as quickly as humanly possible. She was almost finished, almost ready to dry her hands but then, it went to shit when she heard a flush. Her heart constricted in her chest as the door opened and Ima came striding out on sky-high red heels. Her hair was teased up at the crown and then wrapped in long pigtails that fell down around her exposed pierced nipples that peeped through the wide holes in her soaking, tattered shirt. The rest of her costume might as well have been nonexistant. Her makeup was, surprisingly, what irritated her the most. Ima's mascara and eyeliner looked like they were painted on and the foundation and blush was so heavily applied that she almost sneezed from breathing in the fumes.

Still, it didn't take Emma long to figure out exactly what 'film' they were currently shooting: Wet T-Shirt Contest, USA. Or maybe Wet Bitches. Or something along those lines.

She tried to keep her gaze focused on the mirror in front of her as Ima sauntered up next to her. They sat there in complete silence as Ima readjusted her boobs and tiny jean skirt. It was almost like she wasn't there at all.

A beat later, Emma blew out a breath and managed a smile into the mirror. Maybe all she needed to do was play nice. Kill her kindness. Well, here goes nothing.

"Hey...I'm Emma-"she started slowly.

"Luann's daughter—I know," Ima cut in sharply. "Aren't you supposed to be in the office or something?"

She swallowed slowly as she felt heat begin to rise up in her stomach. What the hell was her problem? All she was trying to do was take a stab at being polite.

"I'm just taking a break. I was starting to feel a little suffocated in there," she found herself chuckling and she wasn't sure if it was out of nervousness or uneasiness.

Ima didn't bother to respond; instead, she reapplied her lip gloss and then smacked her lips together as she watched herself in the mirror.

"Is the shoot going alright?" She didn't know why she was even attempting further conversation but silence wasn't exactly something she was comfortable with in this particular situation.

Ima just shrugged as she ran a finger underneath her bottom eyelid and Emma couldn't stop her eyebrows from raising. Really? That was her response? What was wrong with this girl? She wasn't about to waste anymore time on Ima. So much for trying to play nice.

"Well, see you later. Nice meeting you." The edge in her voice wasn't completely intentional but it was there nonetheless. If Ima picked up on it, she didn't show it.

Shaking her head and still a little taken aback by the encounter, Emma was out the door and heading back to the drama-free office. When she was safely tucked back on the other side of the office door, she leaned back against it to try to regain her bearings. Blowing out a deep breath, her eyes fell on the piles and piles of papers and files that still needed to sorted through. Well, no one ever said this job was going to be easy. She wasn't even a full day into this and she was already exhausted.

A sharp knock at the door made her jump and she quickly turned on her heel, her hands grasping for the handle. That familiar knot was working its way around her stomach again and she squeezed her eyes shut as she bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from locking the door.

"Hey, Em?" Jax's silky voice came floating through the door. "You in there?"

Her eyes immediately flew open at the sound of his voice and then quickly shut them again as she ran a hand over her face. Of course he would show up now. Perfect fucking timing.

"Em?"

She blew out a deep breath and quickly flung the door open before she could stop herself only to be met with Jax's imposing, overwhelming figure as he leaned an arm against the doorframe. Her mood must've been written all over her face because Jax's eyes went from lazily content to confused to concerned in a matter of moments.

He frowned back at her as his arm slid back down to his side. "Everything alright?"

She nodded quickly, probably a little too quickly. "I'm fine."

The crease in his forehead only grew wider as he crouched down a little to meet her gaze. "You sure?"

She opened her mouth to respond but quickly shut it when Ima materialized behind Jax.

"Jax?" Ima screeched. "You got my message?"

He blinked back at her for a moment and to his credit, his eyes only drifted down to the center of Ima's dripping wet T-shirt once.

"What?" His forehead crunched up into a frown.

"You didn't get it...why are you..." Ima trailed off as her eyes shifted uneasily between both Jax and Emma. When her eyes landed on Emma for the third time, they narrowed dangerously.

"Look, Ima," Jax started abruptly, startling both women standing next to him. "I really gotta talk to Em about some things...isn't there somethin' you're supposed to be doin' right now, anyways?"

Ima opened her mouth, the color draining out of her face, and then she quickly snapped it shut again. Her glassy eyes darted back to Emma's confused face with an icy, malicious glint before turning on her heel and stomping back down the hall. Emma couldn't stop the relieved exhale that escaped her lips. It was almost gratifying, in a sick, twisted way, to see Jax dismiss Ima like that in favor of speaking with her. He didn't even seem to care that she had called him. Or like he had any intention of calling her later. That was giving her way too much satisfaction.

"So you ready to give me the good news or what?" Jax's voice brought her back to reality.

She sighed again. "Can we go outside and talk? I just need some air for a little while."

He frowned again and ran a hand over his gruff chin. "Alright. Let's get outta here then."

He waited patiently as she grabbed her notes and silently followed behind her as she walked briskly towards CaraCara's front door. She didn't need to look behind her to know he was following her a little too close for comfort. She could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck...but it was the way he smelled that affected her the most. One whiff of gasoline, grease, and something that was just distinctly him and she was 15 again and swooning until her knees went weak. It was a struggle not to allow herself to shiver uncontrollably. She definitely didn't want him to be aware of that.

When she pushed the door open and felt the warm, fresh sun on her face, she instantly felt better. It felt like she could breathe, like the weight of everything was suddenly lifted off her shoulders, and despite her sudden uneasiness around him, she was grateful to have him so close to her now. Inside CaraCara, his closeness had been terrifying, almost predatory-like—maybe it had something to do with their location—but now that they were out of that building, his presence seemed to wrap a calming, comforting aura around her. Everything seemed to fade into the background now that it was just the two of them. There was something...familiar...about the way they were standing next to each other, like it was natural for them to be only inches apart.

"So..." Jax started hesitantly, his piercing blue eyes never leaving hers. "I'd ask you how your first day is going but I think I already have an idea."

She laughed in spite of herself and just shrugged. "I'm just a little...overwhelmed, I guess. Nothing a little more experience can't cure. Anyways...I'm sure Bobby didn't fill in all the blanks for you so maybe we should just start with-"

"I don't need to know all those details," Jax cut in kindly, a soft expression in his eyes. "Look, I know you know what you're doing. No one is going to doubt what you've got going on here. All I really need to know is much more cash you need. That's what I have to sell to the club."

She frowned and laughed softly. "You came all the way out here for a number? Jax...I could've just called you or something...you didn't need to-"

"Don't worry about it," Jax cut in again with that lop-sided grin that was quickly making her toes curl inside her heels. "It's no big deal. So how about that number?"

"Ok," she asked again and shook her head. "We need another $20,000 for repackaging and reprinting of some 'classics'-my mom already found some unused material for all three titles we want to reissue that doesn't need any retouching so the only thing we really have to fund is the actual production and shipping."

He nodded quickly and rubbed his mouth in thought. "I think I should be able to swing that. I know the club can probably spare it. So how long do you think it'll take before the club will see that money again? They're gonna need to know that too because they agree to anything."

"Well," she began. "If that distribution deal works out, and I can't imagine why it won't, we should start seeing some real profit coming back in three, four months tops. They're also shooting something new right now and we can push that through faster—it's already in the budget anyways—and then that's more profit coming in. And the sooner the club signs off on this new loan, the sooner we can start the reprints, the sooner the club gets everything back and then some."

"Alright," Jax nodded with an impressed expression. "I think they should go for that. I'll take it to the table tonight and let you know as soon as I get the ok."

She nodded back to him with a small, weary smile and then exhaled, relieved that a potential solution was on the forefront. This entire day had just drained her and it wasn't even done yet.

"Hey," Jax reached out hesitantly as he spoke and gingerly grazed her arm with his fingers. "You sure you're ok?"

She couldn't stop herself from shivering under his light, startling touch. This small yet incredibly intimate gesture was so unexpected that she almost felt she'd been knocked sideways by the force of it.

But she didn't shy away and his fingers lingered on her skin as his eyes burned into hers. There was an almost electric charge between them, connecting them through a current that set her even more off-balance than she already was.

"I...uh...I'm fine, Jax." She could barely get the words out she was so distracted.

"You don't seem fine." His fingers slid down her arm and then fell back at his side, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. "You look tired...frustrated...sound about right?"

She blew out a breath. Shit, he was right. "Yeah...I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it actually is, you know? And she was so excited to see me here today; you should've seen her, Jax. I mean, the only time lately I've seen her that happy, that hopeful, was whenever we've talked about this job."

"So what's the problem, Em?"

She blinked back at him for a moment. There was nothing condescending or patronizing in his tone. Just genuine concern. For a fleeting moment, she was taken back to that gut-wrenching night in the clubhouse when he had pulled her away from the image that would haunt her forever. When she was finally coherent enough to even realize who had practically carried her outside, she'd looked into his eyes and found a similar expression that reflected in them now, albeit not quite as amplified as that night at the clubhouse.

"I just..." she started shakily. "I guess this is a lot more...overwhelming than I prepared myself for. I knew some of this would be uncomfortable but I wasn't exactly counting on seeing girls running around with their nipples hanging out and all that shit. Maybe I should've prepared myself a little more... I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when I stumble across them actually filming something."

His face twisted up in a smirk and he shook his head. "Maybe you just need to stay in the office. The bathrooms aren't all that close to where they film anyways and then when it's time for lunch, you go out and get some space. Then you come back, do your job, and then you go home to that bat-shit crazy roommate of yours."

If only it were that simple...

"I'm not trying to say that this isn't gonna be hard," he said as if he could read her thoughts. "But I think, with some time, you'll be able to put that shit out of your head and get the job done. You're already doin' it, Em. You just need to keep goin'."

She didn't know how to respond to that. For probably the tenth time in his presence today, she was searching for words in vain.

His eyes were still fixed tightly on hers and his expression suddenly became unreadable. "Listen...if this is about any of those girls in there...don't listen to a fucking thing they say, ok? Some of them are nice, sure, but some of them are just trashy 'hos."

She knew he was not-so-sublety mentioning she who shall not be named. But before she even realized what she was saying, the stress and frustration of the day sent the words tumbling right out of her: "Which one is Ima?"

His expression darkened immediately. "She say somethin' to you?"

"It doesn't matter, Jax."

"Yeah, it does. She's not worth it, Em. Don't let her get under your skin."

She laughed bitterly and impulsively spat:"I guess you would know, right?"

His eyes widened and he reflexively winced at her low blow, causing him to take a defensive step back as he inhaled sharply.

"I'm sorry," she started, immediately regretting it. "I shouldn't have said that. It's none of my business and I just had an...unpleasant...encounter with her in the bathroom right before you got here and I think I'm still a little pissed about it. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

The pained expression still didn't leave his eyes even as her words lingered in the air. Guilt sent that all too familiar knot sliding back around her stomach and she wanted to kick herself in the shin for being so damn implusive.

"Nah," he said quietly, looking down at the ground for the first time since they'd stepped outside. "It's not a big deal."

They stood there in silence for a few now uncomfortable moments until he started to rock back and forth on his heels, causing her to glance up at him.

"Is that it, though?" He offered a hesitant smile as she watched him. "Ima? The movies? There's nothin' else?"

Part of her willed herself to say no, there wasn't anything else she was worried about. The porn, Ima—all that she could probably handle with time, just like he said. But it was something else that was making a bad situation even worse. And the part of her that knew, deep down, exactly what it was that was sending her spiraling towards a breakdown, that part of her couldn't stop the words from escaping her lips with a shaky breath.

"What if it doesn't work, Jax?"

He frowned and tilted his head to the side in thought. "What if what doesn't work?"

"What if we don't make the profit I think we will? What if we just lose more money and then the club pulls out the loan? What if they say no, Jax? What if I never get the chance to help her?" A wayward, traitorous tear slipped down her cheek as the words streamed out of her and she wiped it away furiously.

His hands were immediately covering her shoulders as he bent down to meet her eyes. "Hey, hey...everything will be fine. CaraCara isn't going to sink, I promise. Especially not when you're here now with all your killer, college-grad ideas. Everything is gonna go exactly the way you're thinkin' it will."

She exhaled shakily and wiped another tear from her cheek. But when she glanced back at CaraCara's looming entrance, the panic attack that had been lingering in the back of her subconscious all day was becoming more difficult to hold at bay.

"I mean," she wiped another tear with the back of her hand. "It's not like anything I said today was revolutionary...it's pretty standard, no-brainer business."

Her mother's face flashed through her mind when she'd first relayed this new plan to her. Luann had, at first, been escastic and overcome with gratitude that she had come up with something so quickly...and then that had quickly faded when it started to register just how quickly she had come up with a viable solution. It couldn't have been easy for her—her daughter coming in the first day on the job and pointing out all the ways she had mismanaged her own business. But wasn't that what Luann had wanted? Why else would she have asked her to work at CaraCara if not to give her some real, legitimate help? Of course, it hadn't helped when she'd offered to take a pay cut on her salary and Luann had flatly refused, staring back at her with an offended and wounded expression.

"Hey," Jax shook his head. "Don't sell yourself short...you're doin' a good thing here, Em."

"Why doesn't it feel like I am, then?" Another tear slipped down her cheek and she felt herself beginning to tremble as the growing panic seeped into her blood.

Jax's arms shot out immediately and pulled her into his arms. She allowed her head to fall into his shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of tears flowed down her cheeks. Being in his arms was a feeling she wasn't in a mindset to wrap her head around. When she was younger, she'd secretly fantasized what it might feel like, how rough his hands would be and would he run his hands through her hair? Would he pull her face back with those same rough, calloused hands and kiss her? But now that it was actually happening, she was too overwhelmed with everything else going on at the moment to really feel anything but comfort in his embrace. And maybe that's exactly what she needed anyways.

She sighed into his shoulder and then pulled back a little, lifting her body slightly away from him. He smiled down at her and whispered: "Please don't cry anymore, darlin'."

She nodded and forced a smile back at him. It was the least she could do. "Thanks, Jax. For everything...you didn't even have to come out here in the first place and then you have to deal with-"

"Don't worry about it, Em," he cut in softly. "You think you're alright to go back in there and kick some more ass?"

She blew out a quiet breath and nodded. "Yeah, I am. You should probably head back to the clubhouse, right?"

"Right," he smirked. "Got some business to take care of. I'll let you know as soon as the club decides one way or another...I wouldn't sweat over it, though, darlin'. We got this."

She knew he was just trying to reassure her but there was something in his voice that suggested maybe it wasn't as cut and dry as he was making it sound. They both knew there was still a good chance the club could vote it down and then CaraCara really would be sunk.

"Alright," she managed a soft smile. "Good luck. And thanks again, Jax...I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, darlin'. You'll let me know if you need anything else, right?" That lop-sided grin slid back onto his face as he sauntered over to where his bike sat waiting for him.

She couldn't help but grin back as she watched him expertly swing his leg over the side of his bike and snap his helmet on. "I will, Jax. Promise."

"Sounds good, Em. See ya."

"Bye."

She watched as he waved goodbye, revved his bike, and then wheeled out of the parking lot to head back into Charming. A lump rose up in her throat as he sped out of sight and she suddenly found herself wishing that he would come back. But they both had business to take of now and with one last glance back at his fading form, she turned on her heel with renewed resolve. She could make this work...even if it fucking killed her.


As the road led him back to Charming and everything sped past him, Jax was grateful for some peace. The road had long been a solace for him and anytime he needed to clear his head, all he needed to do was rev up his bike and set out on the open road. It was just as calming to him as working on an engine, although both worked towards that end a little differently.

But the closer he got to Charming, the more he realized just how urgent his business at the Redwood was. Even though they'd lost touch over the last few years, he'd always known Emma to be nothing short of calm, cool, and collected. So seeing her on the brink like that...he didn't know how to handle it. What he did know was that seeing her that way, seeing her fucking crying and shaking was something he never wanted to see again. His hands clenched the arms of his bike a little tighter at the thought. All the more reason to come through for her now.

He wasn't at all surprised that it wasn't easy for her to adjust to working at CaraCara. She just wasn't that type of girl and that certainly wasn't a bad thing. He knew she didn't really belong there but yet at the same time, there she was...doing everything in her power not to fail the woman who had failed her too many times to count. For all of Emma's misgivings and hesitations, she was nothing if not loyal. It wasn't like Luann really deserved Emma's loyalty anyways which made her commitment to her mother all the more admirable.

But he'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't wished she'd decided not to take the job. There was something about her and Ima working under the same roof that didn't sit well with him. They were polar opposites really...and seeing them standing side by side earlier had only confirmed it. Emma, in her heels, skirt, and white button-up with the sleeves rolled up, couldn't have been in starker contrast to Ima's getup, which, even he had to admit was a little much. Ima didn't even really hold a candle to Emma. No contest.

Which, of course, made it all the more unnerving that Emma knew he'd been tapping Ima. He'd gotten too lazy to even bother with crow-eaters and knew Ima would always be ready for him at his beck and call. There was a part of him that was even disgusted with himself for letting it happen. Truth be told, he'd never really cared much about who the girl was or what they did for a living but it wasn't like he was going around bragging that he was banging a porn star. Something about it felt a little dirty, even for him...and that was saying a lot. So when Emma had stared back at him with those judgmental, frustrated blue eyes, he felt an uneasiness that hadn't been there for awhile.

He quickly shook those thoughts off as TM came into sight. Time to take care of business and get everything sorted out. He quickly parked his bike and had just gotten his helmet off when his mother shut the door to the office and ventured out into the parking lot purse in hand.

"Hey baby," Gemma smiled at him, putting her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Hey, Ma," he smiled back. "You goin' somewhere?"

"Just a few errands," she shrugged. "Where'd you take off to before?"

Here we go.

"I took a drive out to CaraCara—"

"Oh really." She spat, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. Shit…she didn't even give him a chance to explain. Par for the course with her.

"Jesus, Mom…why do you always have to jump to conclusions?"

"Because you're banging a porn star. Don't you think that's something I have an opinion about?" She stated bluntly.

When didn't she have a fucking opinion? That woman had zero idea how to mind her own damn business.

"Mom…" he started hesitantly. He wasn't looking for a fight right now. There were other things weighing on his mind that was more important than this particular shit.

"What? You gonna tell me I should mind my own damn business again? Don't you think it's time you cut ties with that bitch once and for all, Jackson?"

He blew out a breath and inwardly cursed her crazy psychic abilities. "I was gonna say that I went to CaraCara today to meet with Emma about business."

Gemma's eyebrows shot up. "Business?"

He nodded wearily. "Yes, business. Nothing else. She needs some money to get CaraCara goin' again."

"And she asked you for help."

"No, Bobby called me."

"So she asked Bobby to call you then."

"No," he sighed and ran a hand over his face in frustration. "Why are we goin' back and forth about this? I'm tryin' to help here and so is she."

Gemma sighed and smiled weakly as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I know, baby. I know…it's just…interesting…that it's only her first day and already you're making excuses to go over there."

"I'm not makin' excuses, Ma—I have to bring this to the club today."

"Right," Gemma tilted her head to the side as she spoke to better gauge his reaction. "But couldn't you have just called? Got the information you needed that way?"

"What are you getting' at here, Gemma?" The edge in his voice wasn't entirely intentional but he couldn't help it. He knew exactly what his mother was getting at and if he was being honest with himself, he knew she was right. It just pissed him off that she just took one look and knew.

"Nothing, baby." She finally answered.

He tucked some hair behind his ear and smiled back at her. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I am thinkin' about cuttin' Ima loose. The stage 5 clinger act got old pretty fuckin' quick."

Gemma laughed and put a hand on his cheek. "That does make me feel better. What finally pushed you over the edge?"

"I'm just sick of all her stupid voicemails."

"You sure it's not just because something better came back to town?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously at her words and her expression immediately jumped into apology mode. She clearly recognized that she'd overstepped.

"Hey," he started, quickly changing the subject. "You heard from my crazy ex-wife lately? I've been tryin' but she won't return any of my calls. I haven't seen a doctor bill in a little while too."

Gemma nodded, quickly mirroring his concern. "I'll stop over there today and see where she's at."

"Thanks, Ma. That means a lot." He murmured softly, knowing he was laying it on thick but needed her to just back off for awhile and let him handle his shit on his own. Besides, this would keep her preoccupied, if only for a little while.

His mother, unable to resist his charm, brightened immediately at his tone and knew she was forgiven for meddling. At this point in his life, he'd come to just expect it from her anyways. The woman was born to interfere, especially when it came to him. Of course, it was because she was his mother and, on some level, had earned the right to interfere but that didn't mean he appreciated it—that comment about Emma was just completely uncalled for and way off base.

He watched with weary eyes as his mother settled into her black Cadillac and then drove off. Hopefully, she'd have good news to report to him later...just like he hoped to have good news to report to Emma shortly. He honestly couldn't remember the last time Wendy had sent him a doctor bill let alone actually heard her voice on the phone. A deep, unsettling wave of uneasiness enveloped his stomach at the thought. No...nothing was wrong. She was fine. The kid was fine. His kid...he sighed and ran a hand over his face. Sooner or later, he was going to have to come to grips with that.

But not now. He had some immediate business that needed taking care of.

So when church concluded only over an hour later, he found himself sitting alone on a picnic table right outside the garage, puffing away anxiously on a cigarette. Church hadn't exactly gone the way he thought it would even though he'd expected some mixed reactions from the club, especially since they'd already flushed a good chunk of money down the drain on CaraCara. They'd all listened intently and respectfully as he brought them up to speed on Emma's new plan of action—with Bobby filling in the details—and then when he was done, he was met with silence as each member considered what he was asking.

"I don't know, bro," Tig, naturally, had been the first to speak. "I'm not sure I really feel comfortable floating Luann anymore cash...it's not like we haven't already went above and beyond."

"But this is different," Jax had reasoned cautiously. "Em's got her shit together. She'd never let me bring this to the table if she didn't think it would work."

"It's a killer plan." Bobby added with a nod.

"Now," Clay started after a slow pull on his cigar. "No one here is disputing that Emma's a smart girl—college-educated to boot. She knows her shit and we all know that. The question isn't whether or not this new business plan will work; the question is: how much money are we really willing to stick into this? Is it really worth our while? Besides, we keep giving one old lady cash and that sets a precedent. We're not a fuckin' bank either."

"Can we spare it, though?" Opie asked quietly.

Jax had felt immediately less on edge the moment Opie spoke. Someone needed to ask that question since it hadn't exactly panned out the way he thought it would.

"Well," Bobby started slowly. "We've got about $30K just lying around. Investing it wouldn't be so bad right about now."

Jax blew out a breath and glanced at Opie in frustration.

"So we can do it, then? I mean, we stand to make a lot of money of of this if we can work it out." Juice added.

When he began to see some head nodding at that last statement, he started to feel a little better.

"Right," Clay chewed on his cigar as he spoke. "But we float them the full $20K and we're potentially setting ourselve up in a tight situation. "

"Well, I say we float them half then and let Luann and Emma figure out the rest." Tig finally affirmed what everyone else seemed to be thinking.

And before he could even really aware of it, the words came spurting out. "I'll make up the difference."

"You sure about that, brother? That's a lot of money." Opie had stared at him wide-eyed.

He had just shrugged like it was no big deal, even though Emma's tear-stained, panic-stricken face kept flashing across his mind. "Yeah, I can handle that. Besides, I pay half, I get half the kickback, right?"

"Nah, brother..." Bobby was watching him carefully now. "You got a kid on the way, remember? I'll split it with ya."

That one had really thrown him off and he'd stared back at Bobby like he'd just sprouted two heads. Shit...maybe he did. Why would Bobby really care about this? If CaraCara went down, he'd miss out on his daily dose of 'pussy film'-as he called it—but that didn't seem like solid enough motivation to float a dying business $5000 that he might never see again.

He wasn't going to ruminate on his own motivations just yet.

But by the time he'd regained his bearings, the club was already voting and he'd somehow put down his own money to make it happen. Even now, as he lit another cigarette and leaned back on the picnic table, he still wasn't really sure how he'd gotten himself into this. Maybe it was something about the desperation he'd seen in Emma's eyes and his own inclination to never want to see that expression again. He had a feeling a nice, deep bottle of Jack could easily sort of this shit out. All in good time.

First things first: he had some good news to deliver.

He flipped open his prepay and scrolled through his contacts to find Emma's number. And just as he was about to hit 'send', his mother's number flashed across his screen as an incoming call. For a brief moment, he thought about just ignoring it and calling her back...he was so close to hearing the relief, joy, and excitement he was sure would be in Emma's voice as soon as he told her. Part of him almost wished he had enough balls to just jump on his bike and tell her in person. But he'd told her he'd call her when he knew and that was what he needed to do.

Gemma's number just kept flashing and as their last conversation echoed in his mind, he decided to answer.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Jax?" There was something odd about her voice; something he wasn't used to hearing from his strong, tough as nails mother.

"Yeah? What is it, Mom?"

"You gottta get to the hospital, Jax. Wendy's having the baby right now...I found her passed out in the kitchen..."

All the air seemed to rush out of his lungs in one clean sweep. If he hadn't already been sitting, his knees probably would've collapsed on him. That dumb, fucking bitch...he knew he couldn't trust her. Something had gone wrong. His mother wouldn't sound so helpless, so desperate if it hadn't. His kid...his son...what was going to happen now?

"How bad is it, Mom?" He barely recognized his own voice.

"I don't know, Jax...I don't know. It's not good." She whispered back.

"I'm on my way."

He snapped the phone shut and sprinted to his bike, barely shouting out towards the clubhouse what was going on. As Opie and Clay raced to their bikes behind him, he could barely even see, let alone think straight. But he had to pull it together. He had to get to the fucking hospital.

So a heartbeat later, he revved the engine and sped towards the hospital. His mind seemed to go completely blank, unable to process what exactly might be there waiting for him.


A/N-I hope you liked it. I tried to move things along without cramming too much into one chapter. I also realize that Emma's 'plan' may not be as entirely realistic as in this chapter but I did my best to come up with something as real as possible without having any experience in that (I also took my best guess on the numbers too).

So as I'm sure you've already figured out, this story is really going to be a slow burn between Jax and Emma. They're not just going to jump into bed-they've got too much history to do that. But this next chapter will be a massive leap forward in their relationship, especially on an emotional level, as they deal with Abel's birth and condition. The physical will take a little longer to get too.

I hope you enjoyed this (despite the wait) and I will have the next update up as soon as humanly possible. Please let me know what you thought! R/R!